The Boston University men's basketball team opens its 2005-06 season against the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils in the first round of the 2005 Preseason National Invitation Tournament at 7:30 p.m., in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Terriers finished 20-9 in 2004-05 and 14-4 in the America East. BU advanced to the postseason NIT, regrettably BU was beaten by Georgetown in the first round. Duke finished 27-6 in 2004-05, 11-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Blue Devils advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, where they were defeated by eventual Final Four participant Michigan State.

THE COACHES: The Terriers are led by 12th year head coach Dennis Wolff (Connecticut âÂ?^~78). Wolff is 192-133 (.591) in his career at BU, 222-151 (.595) in 14 years overall, including a 30-18 record in two seasons at Connecticut College. Wolff is the all-time leader in victories at BU, having surpassed Mike Jarvis (101) on Jan. 22, 2001. Wolff is a three-time America East Coach of the year (1997, 2003, 2004) and has twice been named both NABC District I and New England Coach of the Year honors (1997, 2004).

Under Wolff, BU has dominated in America East play, sporting a stout 124-67 (.649) mark, including 71-25 (.740) in home league contests. Wolff has led the Terriers to at least a share of four America East regular-season titles (1997, 2002, 2003, and 2004) and two America East Tournament championships (1997, 2002). BU has advanced to a pair of NCAA Tournaments under Wolff and has won 20 or more games on five occasions during his tenure.

WolffâÂ?^TMs assistants are Orlando Vandross (America International âÂ?^~92), Mike Winiecki (Richmond âÂ?^~89) and Mike Costello (BU âÂ?^~00).

Duke is coached by Mike Krzyzewski (Army âÂ?^~69), who is 648-187 (.776) in 25 seasons at the helm of the Blue Devils. He has won three national championships (1991, 1992, 2001) and was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001.

BU IN THE NIT: The Terriers make their third appearance in the preseason NIT. The Terriers have dropped their opening game each time. BU lost at Connecticut in the 1997 (68-54) event and fell in a nail-biter Stanford in 2002 (61-57). The Terriers have been invited to the postseason NIT on five occasions: 1980, 1986, 2003, 2004, and 2005.

EARLY START: The Nov. 14 tip-off is the second-earliest start in school history for BU basketball. The earliest start came when the Terriers opened play on Nov. 13 in 2001, with a victory over New Orleans in the Guardians Classic in Iowa City, Iowa.

IN THE POLLS: BU has not received any votes in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches preseason top-25 poll. The Terriers have scheduled four opponents who appear in the rankings: Number-one Duke (BUâÂ?^TMs opponent on 11/14) and no. 24 George Washington (12/2) are ranked. Michigan (11/22) received 35 votes to unofficially be ranked 33rd, while Bucknell (12/28) received one vote, unofficially checking in at no. 51.

COUNTDOWN TO 200: Dennis Wolff is just eight wins shy of his 200th win at BU. Wolff is 192-133 in 11 seasons on the Terrier bench and is already the schoolâÂ?^TMs all-time leader in victories. Wolff won his first game at BU in his debut, an 80-78 victory over Rider on Nov. 25, 1994. It took Wolff 80 games to reach the 50-win mark, 108 games to go from 50 to 100, and 83 games to go from 100 to 150. BU is 42-12 since Wolff won his 150th game.

Dennis Wolff: DEAN OF AMERICA EAST COACHES: With the retirement of VermontâÂ?^TMs Tom Brennan at the end of last season, Dennis Wolff is now the elder statesman among America East coaches. Wolff is entering his 12th season on the bench, and no other leading man in the conference has coached at his current school for more than five years. Brennan had been at Vermont for 20 years. WolffâÂ?^TMs 192 wins at BU are more than the coaches at the other eight schools in the America East combined (174). In terms of total years coached among league mentors, WolffâÂ?^TMs 13 total years of experience trails New HampshireâÂ?^TMs Bill Herrion (18), BinghamtonâÂ?^TMs Al Walker (17) and UMBCâÂ?^TMs Randy Monroe (14).

ACC TIES: Dennis Wolff is no stranger to Cameron Indoor Stadium. He spent eight years in the heart of ACC country as an assistant coach for Virginia and Wake Forest. From 1985-89, Wolff was an assistant for the Demon Deacons under Bob Staak, then re-appeared in the league at Virginia under Jeff Jones from 1990-94. Wolff helped the Cavaliers advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 1993 and win an NIT title in 1992. Wolff was hired at BU directly from Virginia.

EXPERIMENTAL RULES: The NCAA will try out a few experimental rules as per usual during its early-season tournaments. These changes will affect the Terriers only as far as they advance in the NIT and will not apply to the remainder of the season: The three-point line will be extended to 20âÂ?^TM9âÂ?Â?, 12 inches longer than the standard 19âÂ?^TM9âÂ?Â?. The free-throw lane will be extended by one foot on each side, increasing from 12âÂ?^TM to a total of 14âÂ?^TM. A restricted arc will be in place extending as a 3âÂ?^TM radius from under the basket. Defenders standing in this arc cannot draw charges.

BU ON TV: The Terriers will make a minimum of seven television appearances in 2005-06. BU begins the season at Duke on ESPN2 in the preseason NIT. The Terriers will then play all four of their home games at Agganis Arena (Michigan, 11/22; Rhode Island, 11/29; Vermont, 1/22; Maine, 1/29) on the New England Sports Network (NESN) as part of a university package with the station. Eric Frede will provide play-by-play for those games, with Ronny Perry handling analysis. Finally, as part of the America East package, the Terriers will be televised at Albany (2/4) and at Vermont (2/23). Those games will air on NESN as well.

SPECIAL GUESTS HIGHLIGHT RADIO BROADCASTS: BU alum Doug Brown returns to the microphone to broadcast Terrier basketball over the airwaves this season. A collection of former Terrier players and former rival coaches will aid Brown in providing color analysis.

Former forward Billy Collins (2000-2003) will serve as the color commentator in the majority of the broadcasts. Collins will anchor Brown in all 11 home games, as well as select road contests. Collins was a two-year starter and three-year captain for BU and averaged 10.3 ppg in 74 career games in the Scarlet and White. Former Vermont head coach Tom Brennan, who led the Catamounts to the second-round of the NCAA Tournament in 2005 before retiring in the off-season, will work games at Duke (11/14) and at Binghamton (2/14). Dave Wallace (1992-95), who was captain of Dennis WolffâÂ?^TMs first team at BU, will work the games at George Washington (12/2) and at UMBC (1/5). BU Hall-of-Famer Drederick Irving (1984-88), who is second in Terrier history with 1,931 points, will work the Rider game (11/26). Jim Schwartz (1994-97), who was a captain on the Terriers 1997 America East championship team, will work at Stony Brook (1/19), and former Boston College and Ohio State head coach Jim OâÂ?^TMBrien will call games at Canisius (1/22) and at the Cable Car Classic in Santa Clara (12/28-29).

SERIES VS. DUKE: Duke owns a 5-0 all-time series lead, although the teams have not met in 10 years. The teamsâÂ?^TM first meeting came in the 1988 NCAA Tournament, when the top-seeded Blue Devils took out the no. 16 seed Terriers 85-69 in the first round of the East Regional at Chapel Hill, N.C. BU and Duke then met three straight years, from 1990-92. The Blue Devils won in Durham 109-55 on Jan. 2, 1991, en route to their first national championship. On Jan. 21, 1992, the Blue Devils topped the Terriers 95-85 in the Boston Garden, as Duke would go on to win its second straight national title. BU would lose at Duke in 1992, and the teams met in the 1994 Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, with the Blue Devils prevailing 73-54.

PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS: Despite losing its top three leading scorers from a team that went 20-9 and advanced to the NIT a year ago, the Terriers were chosen to finish second in the America East Preseason CoachesâÂ?^TM Poll. BU garnered 52 total points, including three first place votes, to finish behind Albany and just ahead of Maine. This marks the third straight season BU has been the coachesâÂ?^TM choice to finish second. The Terriers were picked to win the conference in 2002-03. BU won the league crown in 2002-04 and finished third in 2005.

Preseason CoachesâÂ?^TM Poll

Rank) Team - Points (First-Place Votes)

1) Albany - 61 (5)

2) Boston U. - 52 (3)

3) Maine - 46 (1)

4) Binghamton - 43

5) Hartford - 41

6) Vermont - 31

7) Stony Brook - 21

8) UMBC - 15

9) New Hampshire - 14

WYNN PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE: Senior guard Shaun Wynn (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was tabbed by league coaches as a preseason all-conference selection. Wynn led the Terriers with 3.4 assists per game in 2004-05 and his 2.27-1 assist-to-turnover ratio was the seventh-best in school history. Wynn was the 2003-04 America East Defensive Player of the Year.

Preseason All-Conference Team

Lucious Jordan, Albany

Jamar Wilson, Albany

Andre Heard, Binghamton

Shaun Wynn, Boston U.

Kevin Reed, Maine

FOUR INCREDIBLE YEARS: The BU basketball program has flourished in the last four seasons under head coach Dennis Wolff, accomplishing things never seen before in the programâÂ?^TMs 103-year history. BU went 20-9 in 2004-05, the TerriersâÂ?^TM fourth consecutive 20-win season. BU went 22-10 in 2001-02, 20-11 in 2002-03 and 23-6 in 2003-04. The 85 wins are the most in any four-year period in program history. Prior to 2001-02, BU basketball had achieved 20 or more wins just seven times in 92 seasons of competition. The Terriers also earned an invitation to the 2005 postseason NIT, marking the fourth consecutive season the school participated in postseason play. BU earned an NCAA Tournament bid in 2001-02, and has been to the NIT three straight years. Prior to 2001-02, BU basketball had made seven postseason appearances: NCAA in 1959, 1983, 1988, 1990 and 1997, and NIT in 1980 and 1986.

BU LEADS NATION IN FG PCT DEFENSE IN 04-05: A major reason for BUâÂ?^TMs success last season was its ability to gum up opposing offenses. BU led the nation in field goal percentage defense, allowing foes to shoot just 37.1% from the floor. The Terriers also held opponents to just 55.7 ppg, the third-lowest total in the country. BU allowed 59 points or less in 18 of 29 games last year, and the Terriers were 16-2 in those contests. The Terriers completely neutralized Hartford on Jan. 6, holding the Hawks to just 22 points in a 73-22 victory; it was the lowest point total scored by a Terrier opponent in 64 years.

TOP THREE SCORERS DEPART: The Terriers lost 59% of their scoring output from last year with the graduation of Rashad Bell and Chaz Carr and the transfer to UMass of Etienne Brower. Bell led the team with 15.6 ppg and finished his career ninth all-time in scoring at BU with 1,367 points. Carr averaged 13.1 ppg and was eighth all-time in scoring with 1,406 points. Brower averaged 8.3 ppg. At least one member of the trio led the Terriers in scoring in 26 of 29 games.

DUAL HOMES OF BU BASKETBALL: BU will split its home games this season, playing four contests at the sparkling new Agganis Arena, which opened in January 2005, and seven games at its traditional home, Case Gymnasium, otherwise known as âÂ?oeThe Roof.âÂ?Â? The games at Agganis Arena feature some of the heavyweights on BUâÂ?^TMs schedule, as the Terriers host Michigan (11/22), Rhode Island (11/29), Vermont (1/22) and Maine (1/29). The Maine contest will be the nightcap of a doubleheader with the womenâÂ?^TMs team. Agganis Arena seats 7,200 and was christened in basketball last season when the Terriers upset Vermont 61-55. Agganis Arena is the permanent home of BU menâÂ?^TMs hockey and the facility will host the early rounds of the 2007 America East MenâÂ?^TMs Basketball Championships.

BU has played at The Roof since 1972-73, compiling an extraordinary 180-74 (.709) record there. Dennis Wolff-coached teams have been even better, running up a 94-32 (.746) mark at Case since his arrival in 1994-95. BU has a current nine-game home win streak at The Roof and is 39-8 (.830) there since the beginning of 2001-02.

A LITTLE GREEN: The 2005-06 edition of BU basketball ranks among the youngest in the America East. The 12 players on the active roster have combined to start 90 games in their college careers - 89 of which have come from two players. Seniors Shaun Wynn and Kevin Gardner have combined for 167 games played and 89 starts, leaving the other 11 Terriers with 106 games played and one start (Matt Wolff, last season) between them. Only Vermont has a more inexperienced team, as the Catamounts lost four starters who helped lead them to three straight NCAA Tournament berths. A look at the leagueâÂ?^TMs experience coming in to 2005-06:

School Games Started Games Played

Vermont 40 177

BU 90 273

UMBC 119 289

New Hampshire 126 228

Maine 133 292

Binghamton 155 283

Stony Brook 169 299

Albany 247 396

Hartford 271 449

In terms of total games played on the current roster, this is not the youngest BU team in Dennis WolffâÂ?^TMs 12 years. The 1999-2000 Terriers combined for just 231 career games played heading into the season.

BU vs. ACC: With Boston College joining the ACC this season, the Terriers have a significant amount of games played against the league. BU is 19-55 all-time against current ACC schools, with the breakdown as follows:

Boston College 17-38

Clemson 0-2

Duke 0-5

Florida State 1-1

Georgia Tech 0-2

Maryland 1-3

North Carolina 0-2

N.C. State 0-2

WYNN IN THE RECORD BOOKS: After WynnâÂ?^TMs lethally efficient season last year, in which he handed out 100 assists and recorded 53 steals while only committing 44 turnovers, the senior guard has an opportunity to leave his mark in the Terrier record books. Wynn has 124 career steals, just eight shy of cracking the top-10 all-time at BU. Shawn Teague holds the school mark with 201 thefts, but a comparable season to 2004-05 could move Wynn as high as fourth. Wynn also has a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.86, the fifth-best in school annals. Jeff Timberlake (âÂ?^~89) is tops on the list at 2.24.

ELITE COMPANY: BU has won 20+ games in each of the last four seasons. The Terriers are one of just 22 Division-I programs in the nation that can boast such a streak: BU, Wake Forest, Duke, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas, Connecticut, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Illinois, Utah State, Memphis, Kent State, Southern Illinois, Creighton, Utah, Arizona, Kentucky, Florida, Mississippi State and Gonzaga.

MORRIS OUT FOR THE SEASON: Freshman guard Tyler Morris (Indianapolis, Ind.) will miss the entire season after tearing several ligaments in his foot in preseason practice. Morris, who was expected to contend for playing time in the backcourt, landed on a teammateâÂ?^TMs foot less than two weeks into practice, and underwent surgery on November 7 to repair the ligaments. Morris will redshirt this season and return for his freshman year of eligibility in 2006-07.

MACON: A RARE JUCO FIND FOR BU: Guard Brian Macon becomes just the second junior college transfer to suit up for the Terriers in Dennis WolffâÂ?^TMs 12 seasons. Macon comes to BU from Miami Dade College, where he averaged 10.1 ppg and 7.1 apg for a SharksâÂ?^TM team that went 27-5 and won the Southern Conference. Stijn Dhondt (2001-02) is the only other juco player in the Dennis Wolff era.

NOT AFRAID TO PLAY THE BIG BOYS: A staple of the Terriers under Dennis Wolff has been their willingness to play anyone, anytime, anywhere. A look at some of the major programs BU has gone up against in the regular season in WolffâÂ?^TMs first 11 years: Providence, Kentucky, Duke, Oklahoma, New Mexico, North Carolina State, George Washington, Rhode Island, TCU, Connecticut, Alabama, Colorado, Massachusetts, California, Iowa, Boston College, Stanford, Florida State, Arizona, St. JosephâÂ?^TMs and Michigan. Some of the most significant wins in school history have come against this list, including back-to-back victories at Michigan (2003 and 2004) and a 15-point win over Florida State in 2002.